Grounded Philippine warship causes environmental damages, violates China's territorial integrity: experts

The run-down Philippine naval vessel BRP Sierra Madre which has been illegally grounded at the Ren'ai Jiao in the South China Sea for about 26 years is causing damages to the nearby coral reef ecosystem while violating China's territorial sovereignty, said Chinese experts.

In May 1999, the Philippines "grounded" the tank landing ship at the Ren'ai Jiao with excuses.

"The reason it gave was that the warship was damaged and needed repair. And it chose the timing when China had to deal with the aftermath of a brutal missile attack by the U.S.-led NATO forces on the former Chinese Embassy in Belgrade," explained Shi Yubing, dean of South China Sea Institute at the Xiamen University. "The Philippines is solely aiming to use this illegal occupation as a means, with the vessel as an external manifestation, to assert its so-called territorial sovereignty. This intention is very clear," said Pan Junwu, vice dean of the School of International Law at the Northwest University of Politics and Law.

Military vessel is a sign for this intention, and under international law, warships enjoy sovereign immunity, which generally exempts them from the jurisdiction of foreign states. This immunity protects them from legal proceedings in foreign courts for actions such as unauthorized berthing and also prevents being sued due to environmental pollution caused by ship dismantling and other issues.

But BRP Sierra Madre's status afterwards is not that of a warship as defined by United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

"It was put into service during World War II and has been in use for over 80 years. In this case, we should consider it as a wreck rather than an active and operational warship," said Zheng Zhihua, Associate Professor at the Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

The Philippines promised to tow away the vessel, but it didn't do so. Based on the so-called ruling of the South China Sea Arbitration in 2016, it claimed that the Ren'ai Jiao was within its exclusive economic zone and thereby asserted "sovereign rights" over it, changing the tactics while calling the vessel its outpost.

However, China was the first to discover, name and have long-term use and jurisdiction over the Ren'ai Jiao, and there is ample basis in international law for this.

Therefore, the logic of the Philippines is not fact-based, according to Chinese experts.

"From the perspective of the Philippines, Ren'ai Jiao is a so-called low-tide elevation. According to their interpretation of the so-called 2016 South China Sea Arbitration Ruling, it cannot be occupied as a territory. However, the Philippines' actions are aimed at occupying Ren'ai Jiao as their own territory," Zheng said.

From the Chinese side, properly handling the issue based on laws is important. China said that in the period of time between the present and when the warship is towed away, should the Philippines need to send living necessities, China is willing to allow it in a humanitarian spirit if the Philippines informs China in advance and after on-site verification is conducted.

"Considering the relationship between China and the Philippines, as well as the overall peace and stability of the South China Sea, a relatively restrained attitude has been adopted. The disputes between China and the Philippines over the South China Sea could be resolved through negotiation and dialogue," said Wu Shicun, chairman of the Huayang Research Center for Maritime Cooperation and Ocean Governance.

However, over the years, the Philippines has insisted on sending personnel to it and has kept sending official vessels and warships to forcibly intrude into the adjacent waters of the Ren'ai Jiao in an attempt to send construction materials for repairing and reinforcing the "grounded" military vessel on a large scale in an attempt to permanently occupy the Ren'ai Jiao.

But these vessels were intercepted, driven away or captured by the China Coast Guard.

China's stance has been clear and firm -- China would not accept any move by the Philippines to send large amounts of construction materials to the illegally grounded vessel and attempt to build fixed facilities or a permanent outpost and would resolutely act to stop the Philippines' actions.

Grounded Philippine warship causes environmental damages, violates China's territorial integrity: experts

From cutting-edge technology exhibitions to retail stores thousands of kilometers away from Europe and Southeast Asia, China-made robot vacuum cleaners are increasingly becoming a popular choice among consumers worldwide.

At electronics retailers in Berlin, Germany, Chinese brands such as Roborock and Dreame occupy prominent positions in dedicated robot vacuum sections, offering a wide range of products priced between 200 and 2,000 euros.

Many local consumers said that when purchasing smart home appliances including robot vacuum cleaners, they tend to give priority to Chinese-made products.

"It's a good price and good quality. It's also the innovation. I have a feeling that the European brands are not innovating enough," said one customer.

"I think they're always on top of the other technologies. They are getting them out faster. A lot of us are switching to the Chinese technology," another consumer said.

Germany is one of the most important overseas markets for China's floor-cleaning robots.

According to data from market research firm GfK, from January to November 2025, more than six out of 10 robot vacuum cleaners sold in Western Europe were Chinese brands.

Industry data also point to a strong global momentum.

According to the International Data Corporation (IDC), global shipments of smart robot vacuum cleaners reached 17.424 million units in the first three quarters of 2025, representing a year-on-year increase of 18.7 percent.

Chinese brands including Roborock, Ecovacs, Dreame, Xiaomi and Narwal ranked among the world's top five in terms of shipment volume, with a combined share of nearly 70 percent of the global market.

At a robot vacuum cleaner manufacturing plant in Huizhou, south China's Guangdong Province, workers were seen stepping up production of newly launched models that recently debuted at the Consumer Electronics Show in the United States, which concluded Friday in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The factory adjusted its production lines as early as December 2025 and stocked inventory in advance for overseas markets to ensure that new products could be delivered to global consumers at the earliest possible time.

"In 2025, Roborock's global shipments exceeded 7.2 million units. Since 2024, overseas revenue has accounted for more than 50 percent of our total revenue. Our products have now been sold to more than 170 countries and regions, serving more than 20 million households worldwide," said Quan Gang, president of Roborock.

At another robot vacuum cleaner manufacturing facility in Dongguan, Guangdong, rising overseas orders have prompted the company to upgrade its production lines with intelligent technologies to further boost capacity. The factory is currently operating at full load to meet a growing demand.

"For 2026, we have already obtained overseas orders worth at least 300 million to 400 million yuan (around 43 million to 57.3 million U.S. dollars). In addition, we've engaged in strategic cooperation with European home appliance group Cebos Group, and our total confirmed orders have exceeded 600 million yuan (around 86 million U.S. dollars)," said Zhang Junbin, founder and CEO of Narwal Robotics.

Chinese robot vacuum brands gain strong global traction